Thermal Transport Processes | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Thermal Transport Processes program (Funding Opportunity PD 11-1406, later replaced by 12-1406) funds fundamental engineering research and related engineering education that deepen the basic understanding of thermal transport phenomena, broadly defined as heat and mass transfer. The focus spans both microscopic and macroscopic behavior, with the underlying goal of improving how thermal-gradient-driven transport processes are understood, predicted, and ultimately manipulated to meet engineering needs. The program is positioned around core science and engineering questions that affect energy conversion and conservation, materials synthesis and processing, heating and cooling of infrastructure and equipment, industrial process interactions with the environment, propulsion technologies for air and land vehicles, and thermal phenomena that arise in biological and environmental systems.

The types of research this program especially emphasizes include foundational work in conduction and convection (with or without phase change), heat and mass transfer at nano and molecular scales, radiative transport, and the rigorous characterization of material properties that govern these processes. In practice, NSF is looking for proposals that address fundamental mechanisms, develop new conceptual frameworks or predictive models, and generate insights that can generalize beyond a single device or niche application. Priority is explicitly given to investigations that are both intellectually “insightful” at the fundamental level and likely to have broad engineering and societal impact, including novel uses of heat and mass transfer principles that respond to national engineering needs.

The solicitation highlights several example topic areas to illustrate the program’s scope. These include thermal transport in energy conversion and conservation processes (and how those processes interact with the environment), heat and mass transfer across length and time scales ranging from molecular to continuum regimes (with application relevance to areas like energy systems, biotechnology, microelectronics, and biochemical detection), and the fundamental physics of how energetic beams such as lasers interact with solid, liquid, or porous surfaces in advanced manufacturing across meso, micro, and nano scales. These examples are not intended as a closed list; rather, they signal that cross-scale transport, emerging manufacturing processes, and energy-relevant thermal transport challenges are central interests, as long as the work is grounded in fundamental transport science.

A key proposal expectation is a clear case for novelty and significance. Proposers are asked to explain what is truly new compared to prior work in the field, why that novelty matters for engineering science (for example, by enabling a new understanding, measurement approach, modeling capability, or regime of operation), and what the likely downstream impact would be for society and/or industry if the research succeeds. NSF specifically states that this information should be included, at minimum, in the Project Summary, meaning reviewers will be looking for that novelty-and-impact framing immediately rather than buried deep in the technical narrative.

On award structure, unsolicited research awards are typically one to three years in duration, with an average annual award size around $100,000. The program also considers small equipment proposals under $100,000, provided they are submitted during the same designated windows. Submission timing is strict: proposals must be submitted within the announced submission windows (due by 5 p.m. local time), and any proposal received outside those dates is returned without review. The listed annual windows are February 1 to March 1 and August 15 to September 15. The opportunity notes an estimated total funding level of about $10.1 million and an expected number of awards around 32, and it indicates no cost sharing or matching requirement.

The program also points applicants to related NSF mechanisms with different timelines and requirements. CAREER proposals (Faculty Early Career Development) have a five-year duration, with Engineering CAREER submissions typically due in July each year. Proposals for conferences, workshops, and supplements may be submitted at any time, but they require prior discussion with the program director before submission. Likewise, RAPID (Rapid Response Research) and EAGER (Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research) proposals, which replaced the former SGER mechanism, must also be discussed with the program director in advance. Administrative and policy details are governed by the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG).

Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning a broad range of organizations may apply, subject to any clarifications NSF may include in the full text. The program sits under the NSF Engineering directorate (CFDA 47.041, Engineering Grants) and uses the grant instrument within the broader category of science and technology research and development. For access or submission issues, the announcement points users to NSF Grants.gov support.

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